Parents charged 30 years after trash bag with dead baby found in Mississippi, cops say

Two Louisiana parents are facing murder charges — over 30 years after police in Mississippi found their dead baby in a trash bag, according to Louisiana State Police.

A breakthrough in the 1992 cold case was announced March 9, and investigators are crediting advances in DNA and forensic technology, police said in a news release.

Andrew Carriere, 50, and Inga Johansen Carriere, 50, were arrested in Louisiana at the behest of the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations, officials said.

“The case in question involved the discovery of a female infant’s body inside a garbage bag in Picayune, MS, on April 17, 1992,” Louisiana State Police said.

“The Mississippi State Medical Examiner determined that the cause of death was perinatal asphyxia due to smothering, and the case was classified as a homicide. The Picayune Police Department initiated a homicide investigation and collected various pieces of evidence, some of which were linked to associations in Gretna, LA.”

No suspects were identified at the time, leading to the evidence being put in storage. In August 2021, detectives reopened the case in cooperation with the state Bureau of Investigations, officials said.

“With the help of advanced technology, DNA profiles and fingerprints were developed from the preserved evidence,” police said.

“Through investigative means, detectives were able to identify the infant’s parents ... who were living in Louisiana at the time of the death.”

Inga Carriere was arrested Feb. 28 at her home in Avondale, Louisiana, officials said. Andrew Carriere was arrested March 9 in Galliano, Louisiana.

Both have been charged with first-degree murder, officials said.

Investigators have not revealed where the two were living at the time the child was born.

This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 8:07 AM with the headline "Parents charged 30 years after trash bag with dead baby found in Mississippi, cops say."